Machine provided with walking apparatus



1941- c. M L. CAMERON ET AL 2,259,199

MACHINE PROVIDED WITH WALKING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 21, 1940 .Ziyrenfl "Q [5L CAMERON .HE'ATH .5

/ e-Kllcotxmi Patented Oct. l4, 1941 MACHINE, PROVIDED WITH WALKING APPARATUS Colin McLeod Cameron and Alfred Thomas Heath, Ipswich, England, assignors to Bansomes & Rapier Limited, company of Great Britain Ipswich, England, a

Application February 21, 1940, Serial No. 320,222, In Great Britain March 3, 1939 7 Claims.

This invention relates to machines provided with walking apparatus (such machines being hereinafter referred to as walking machines) of the kind comprising a member at each side of the machine constituting a foot which is mounted on a support (hereinafter termed the foot support) and has combined vertical and horizontal movement imparted to it by a powerdriven crank, eccentric or equivalent rotary footoperating member which engages and moves the foot support so that as the crank, eccentric or the like rotates, the two feet are moved downwards to lift the machine or one end thereof, from the ground, then horizontally in one direction to cause the machine to travel, then upwards again to lower the machine again on to the ground and then horizontally in the other direction preparatory to repeating the operation so that the machine is moved over the ground in a series of steps.

In such machines it will be seen that the crank, eccentric or the equivalent is subject to considerable stresses during the lifting horizontal movement and lowering of the machine since it is subject to at least part of the weight of the machine and the object of the present invention is to provide improved walking apparatus of the above kind which will be well adapted to withstand stresses placed thereon and will be generally satisfactory and reliable in operation.

To this end in walking apparatus of the kind referred to according to the present invention, the crank, eccentric or equivalent rotary foot-operating member at each side of the machine is rotatably supported by one or more bearings on a stationary tubular axle and has rotation imparted to it by an axle shaft extending through the tubular axle and connected at its outer end to the crank, eccentric or the equivalent.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but a construction according to the invention is illustrated somewhat diagrammatically by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation,

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 on an enlarged scale and partly in section, and

Figure 3 is a side elevation.

In the construction illustrated the invention is shown as applied to apparatus of the kind forming the subject of the present applicants United States of America patent application Serial No. 320,223, filed February 21, 1940. The excavating machine comprises a body part or frame A adapted to rest upon the ground. Extending through opposite sides of this body part are the ends of two tubular axles B which are rigidly secured to the frame A, as indicated at B at pointsadjacent to but slightly displaced from their outer ends and at one or more further points in their lengths, as indicated at B Rotatably mounted on the outer endof each tubular axle B is a rotary foot-operating member in the form of a spider comprising spaced parallel webs 0 between which extend pivot pins C on which are rotatably mounted rollers C The axes of the pivot pins are parallel to the axis of rotation of the spider C but lie on a circle which is eccentric with respect to this axis, the rollers extending radially outwards beyond the spider to engage a circular track D in a lever D the lower end of which carries a foot E while its upper end is pivotally connected to one end of a link F extending approximately horizontally and. having its other end pivotally connected to a part of the frame A.

Extending through each tubular axle B is an axle shaft G the outer end of which extends beyond the end of the axle and is provided with a flange G secured to the spider C. The inner ends of the shafts G extend beyond the inner ends of the axles B and are formed square or splined as indicated at G The inner and outer ends of the shafts G are conveniently supported in bearings B in the tubular axles B.

The square or splined inner ends G of the two axle shafts engage opposite ends of a correspondingly internally formed sleeve H which thus serves to connect these inner ends together. The sleeve H is capable of limited sliding movement on the ends G and is formed at one end with dog teeth H adapted by sliding the sleeve to be moved into or out of engagement with cooperating dog teeth J on a gear wheel J supported on the inner end of one of the tubular axles B and capable of being coupled to a source of power within the machine.

It will be seen that with this arrangement each axle shaft G is subject solely to the torsional stresses resulting from the transmission of power therethrough to its spider C, all other stresses being transmitted from the spider direct through the bearings supporting it to the tubular axle B which is rigidly secured to the frame A. Moreover, by mounting the wheel J on the inner end of one of th axles B, the lateral thrusts exerted on this wheel due to the transmission of power therethrough are taken by the fixed tubular axle B so that the axle shafts G are relieved from all stresses but torsional stresses.

4. A walking machine as claimed in claim 1, in which each rotary operating member comprises a spider rotatably mounted on the outer end of its associated axle and has rotatably mounted therein a series of rollers which are adapted to engage atrack on the operating member, the axis of rotation of said rollers lying in a circle eccentric to the axis of rotation of the spider.

5, A walking. machine as claimed in claim 1,

' wherein said rotary operating member is in the nism for applying rotary movement to the inner ends of the axle shafts to drive the same."

2. A walking machine 'set for'th in claim 1 including a sleeve and wherein the inner ends of the axle shafts extend beyomt the inner ends. of the tubular axles, said ends being; externally formed to engage said sleeve in a non-rotatable manner, said sleeve being correspondingly inter ,nally formed and serving. to. couplej'said. axles together and: to connect them to driving mechanism.

3'. A walking machine as. claimed in claim 1, including'a sleeve about saidaxles, onepart of a dog clutch on said sleeve, the. otherpart of said clutchbeing mountednnpartof the driving -mechanism rotatably supported. onv the inner end of one of the tubular axles.

form of a spider mounted upon the end of said tubular axle, said axle shaft extending through the'rigid tubular axle and coupled at its outer end, to said Spider, and said foot supporting member having a track and each spider carrying a. series of; rollers engaging said track.

6. A walking machine as claimed in claim 1,

including a sleeve coupling the inner ends of said two axle' shafts together in a non-rotatable manner. j 7,. A walking machine as claimed in claim 1, including means, for coupling the driving mechanism to said sleeve whereby power is transmitted therethrough to the axle shafts and thence to th spiders.

COLIN' MCLEOD CAMERON. ALFRED- IIHOMAS HEATH. 

